The Nordic fashion retailer KappAhl briefed us to redesign its Oslo flagship with the ‘mid-life’ female consumer in mind – an underserviced demographic in retail. Women in that age group said they wanted somewhere inspiring, accessible and easy to navigate – and we responded.

At the heart of the new concept is communicating with the customer in a language that they can identify with and understand, enforced by the slogan ‘For You’. The revised tone of voice is warm, friendly and informative. Manifesto messages on the shop floor convey the brand ethos to consumers, while large-scale fashion images deliver styling advice and clearly signpost different departments. Overall, there is a major key change in signage from promotional to inspirational. The flagship’s interior has been kept true to its shell – a neutral setting in which KappAhl’s stable of brands can shine equally. Angular partition walls loosely structure the space and create the sense of a journey through the store, with different ‘rooms’ discovered in sequence. A holistic approach saw the transformation of store environment, branding, navigation and graphic design; it’s an overhaul not only of aesthetics, but also of brand perception and customer engagement.